Down to Earth

In 2009 Baziw Consulting Engineers, Ltd. entered into a strategic alliance with VMS. Through this alliance BCE can focus their attention on product development and training of their clients in the use of that equipment, while VMS provides marketing and sales support. As part of that effort I want to introduce SC3-DAC Pro .

SC3-DAC Pro is a Windows® program that facilitates the data acquisition of triaxial Seismic Cone (SC) time series data, and provides the user with automatic real-time preliminary interval SH-wave velocities estimates and Vertical Seismic Profile (VSP) displays. The data can then be analyzed in more detail using the SC3-RAV seismic data analysis software.

The development and release of SC3-DAC Pro fits BCE’s mission of providing our clients with state-of-the-art seismic data acquisition and analysis systems that allow better and faster diagnostics of the sub-surface. In the first release of SC3-DAC Pro preliminary estimates of right and left side SH-wave interval velocities are generated automatically during a Seismic Cone Penetration Test (SCPT). Future releases of this software will also provide the user with automatic estimates of the absorption values (QS and QP), interval P-wave velocities, and the interval low-strain elastic constant.

SC3-DAC Pro includes the following features:
�� Configurable for either geophones or accelerometers.
�� Configurable for either contact Switch or Sensor Triggers.
�� Suitable for P-Wave and S-wave.
�� Option for a time delay in collecting data.
�� Maximized data sampling rate.
�� Option for Data Stacking.
�� Bandpass, high pass, low pass, and notch digital filters.
�� Automatic full waveform SH-wave interval velocity estimates.
�� Displays of peak particle accelerations, velocities, and displacements.
�� VSPs with trend line estimation.

Please visit the BCE website for more information on this product or contact us by e-mail for more information (info@bcengineers.com)

I was recently asked whether there is such a thing as the perfect in-situ soil test, probably in response to a presentation that I had given a few weeks earlier, in which I enthusiastically described the advantages of CPT. The answer is obviously no: there is no single test that provides the most reliable information on the various soil parameters for all soil types. Having said that, CPT is generally speaking a very appropriate testing method in soils other than rock and gravel, providing good data on a very wide range of soil parameters. As such it is clearly the most versatile in situ soil test available. What is even more important, especially here in North America, is that CPT provides information on more soil parameters than SPT in all soil conditions other than gravel. Moreover, for those soil parameters that can be derived from both the SPT and the CPT results, CPT provides generally more accurate results and the results are available within minutes after the test was done (before the test equipment leaves the test site). In other words, CPT is a very useful test to provide an all-around characterization of the soil in a very short period of time. Not perfect, but in my opinion by far the best in the class of in-situ soil tests.

Earlier today a message promoting the Open Format for foundation testing software was posted under the “Foundation Testing” header of this blog. In that message I mentioned the GEF-CPT format, which is a standardized format for the data obtained with a Cone Penetration Test. This format was developed in The Netherlands with direct input of various CPT equipment manufacturers, and is now widely used in Europe. Details on this format are freely available on the internet.

The question is why this format is rarely used here in North America. Is it a lack of familiarity with this method? If so, hopefully this blog will change that. Is it a lack of availability? With the format readily available and various tools to work with this format freely available on the internet, it is hard to believe that that is the reason. Maybe it just needs somebody to actively promote the benefits of an Open Format in general and the use this format in particular. If so, I'm happy to be that person.